The present invention relates to a malfunction notice system of manipulation buttons that a crew of a vehicle manipulates in the vehicle. In particular, the system operates quickly in a case that the malfunction of the manipulation buttons has been occurring since a time before an engine of the vehicle stopped until a time after the engine restarted.
In some types of manipulation buttons of electronic devices, pulse signals for executing predetermined processing are outputted from the manipulation buttons to the electronic device. Here, a user pushes the predetermined buttons and releases them. Some in-vehicle electronic devices have a self-diagnostic function in which malfunction of the manipulation button is notified to the user, a crew of the vehicle. An effect that the manipulation button is malfunctioned is outputted on an in-vehicle display such as LED or LCD.
In JP-P3070850, an in-vehicle emergency call device includes a notice system. The system detects an electric open circuit state due to wire breakage of a manipulation button, or a short circuit state due to short-circuited disconnection of the manipulation button to notify through an indicator.
As one of malfunctions in the manipulation button, a button-stuck malfunction occurs in the in-vehicle electronic device. The button-stuck malfunction is for the manipulation button to remain in a pushed state (button-pushed state) due to mechanical reason such as hooking of the button or electrical reason such as transmission line breakdown. A button-stuck malfunction notice system can be therefore a practical self-diagnostic function.
In the button-stuck malfunction notice system, the button-stuck malfunction is determined, to prevent misjudging, after the button-pushed state continues for a predetermined continuous period X (e.g., two minutes).
Once the button-stuck malfunction is determined, it continues to be notified to the crew of the vehicle until the button-pushed state is released or main power of the vehicle is turned off. Namely, the determination of the button-stuck malfunction is initialized when the main power is turned off and then turned on. The continuous period X of the button-pushed state is newly started after the main power is turned on.
A processing flowchart of one instance of the button-stuck malfunction notice system is shown in FIG. 3. When an engine starts at Step 600, the button-stuck malfunction system initializes itself to start by being supplied with electric power. When the system afterward detects the button-pushed state for the predetermined continuous period X, the button-stuck malfunction is determined at Step 610. An effect that the button-stuck malfunction is determined is outputted on a display and notified to a crew at Step 620.
When the engine stops and the main power is turned off at Step 630, the button-stuck malfunction notice system stops its processing through shutting off of the power supply. When the engine restarts at Step 640, the button-stuck malfunction notice system is supplied with the power and initializes itself to restart the processing. If the button-pushed state continues through turning off and on of the main power at Steps 630 and 640, the system starts to detect the button-pushed state at Step 640 just after the restart of the engine. However, the malfunction is not determined until the anew continuous period X of the button-pushed state elapses at Step 650. The effect that the button-stuck malfunction is determined is thus again outputted on the display so as to notify the crew of the effect at Step 660.
If a crew is not notified of the malfunction notice and manipulates the malfunctioned button during the above predetermined period X at step 650, he cannot understand why the manipulating button is ineffective.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a button-stuck malfunction notice system that operates quickly in a case that the malfunction of the manipulation buttons has been occurring since a time before an engine of a vehicle stopped until a time after the engine restarted.
To achieve the above object, a button-stuck malfunction notice system is provided with the following. When the button-pushed state continues for more than a predetermined period, button-stuck malfunction information is notified to a crew of the vehicle. Simultaneously the button-stuck malfunction information is stored. Furthermore, in a case that the electric power is turned off and then turned on, when the button-stuck malfunction information is stored and the button-pushed state is still detected, the button-stuck malfunction information is notified again to a crew of the vehicle.
The above structure provides a quick notice system in a case that the malfunction of the manipulation buttons has been occurring since a time before an engine of a vehicle stopped until a time after the engine restarted. Namely, even if a crew who does not know the button-stuck malfunction has been occurring manipulates the malfunctioned button at restarting of the engine, he quickly understands the malfunction is occurring. It prevents the crew from feeling uneasy in no response from the manipulation for the predetermined period.